Safety device for aviators.



w. A. MAcK'AY'." SAFETY DEVICE FOR AVIATORS? APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. 1912. A j

1,134388Q, Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

2 BHEETB-SHBET l.

IHTURIIEYS W. A. MACKAY. SAFETY DEVICE FOR AVIATORS. APPLICATION HLEO.AUG.2I. 912.

2 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

WITNESSES l/WE/VTOR Z/MZZ/IZWwM/Ide/"MaC/LQ M NTORHEYS Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

BIS

WILLIAM ALEXANDER, IIIACKAY, OF NORTH SYDNEY, NOVA SCOT-IA, CANZHML SAFETY DEVICE FOR AVIATOBS.

menses To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, /VILLn-iMiiLnxANDER MACKAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of North Sydney, in the Province of Nova- Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Safety Device for Aviators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de scription.

This invention relates, to appliances for use in connection with aeroplanes, and has particular reference to devices for making flights of aviators practically safe in the provision of a parachute adapted to be can ried by the machine and to which the aviator is connected, means furthermore being provided whereby the parachute and aviator may be released from the machine in the case of accident and enabling him to. be lowered to the earth in safety by virtue of the parachute.

The invention furthermore consists in the novel details of construction whereby the foregoing object may be attained in a simple and thoroughly reliable manner.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

' and in which- Fi ure l is a ,fra 'mentar lan view of b D D an aeroplane showing the aviator and parachute in position thereon as in the act of flying; Fig. 2 is a partial transverse section of the machine, and a side elevation of the parachute secured thereto; Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the locking mechanism for securing the parachute to the machine, taken on the line 33 of Figs. 1 and 4; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the look, a portion of the casing'being detached, and the catch being shown in section; Fig. 5 is a section of the casing and a side elevation of the interior mechanism, taken on the line 55 of Fig. l; and Fig. 6 is a view of the parachute in operative position.

Referring particularly to the drawingsl show zit/10 an aeroplane of any usual or suitable design, and secured to any suitable Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 6, 1915,

Application filed August 21, 1912. Serial No. 716,173.

nected at one end permanently to the aeroplane by means of a bracket 14, the other end of the strap being passed around the parachute and provided with a. suitable form of catch 15 adapted to be connected with a lock 16 likewise secured to the aeroplane franie. Any suitable means may be provided for releasing the catch 15 from the lock 16, but I prefer to provide electrical means for this purpose including an electromagnet 17 in each lock cooperating with the catch 15 of each strap, all of the magnets being in the same circuit with battery 18, the circuit of which is adapted to be completed by any suitable means such as a push button 19' within reach of the aviator,

Each lock 16 includes a casing :20 having an opening 2O adapted to admit the catch 15, as indicated in Fig. 3. The catch 15 includes a housing 21 permanently connected to the outer or free end of the strap and? having parallel side flanges 2-2 extending outwardly from themain wall of the lions ing :21. The catch also includes a spring tongue 23 riveted at one end at 24 to the housing and having a head or hook 25 at the other end adapted to oscillate within the space between the flanges 23 when the catch is being inserted into the lock.

The lock includes a dog 26 pivoted upon a pin 27 extending transversely across the casing parallel to the opening 20 of the casing, whereby the dog is adapted to cscillate toward or from the catch and interlock with the aforesaid hook 525. At each end of the dog is a stud'28 adapted to co operate with a trigger 29 pivoted at 30 in the adjacent side wall of the casing 20. The upper edge of each trigger is provided with a notch 29, whereby, when the dog is thrown outwardly into locking position by means ofa spring 31:01 its equivalent, the longer ends of the'triggers will be lifted so to permit the armature 32 to he swung beneath the same by operation ,of'a light spring 33, The armature is pivoted transversely in the casing on the pintles a When in the position just indicated the energized in the manner above indicated, each armature will be drawn against the strength of the spring out of supporting contact with the triggers 29, leaving the triggers free to swing downwardly on their pivots 30, as shown in Fig. 5, and hence leaving the dog 26 free to swing on its pivot 2"! when the strap pulls outwardly on the catch to ."see it from the lock. This action of the straps will take place by reason of the tendency of the parachute to fly open in any Well known manner. As soon as the catch is Withdrawn from the lock the dog is restored to locking position by virture of the spring 31 and in moving out wardly to such position the studs 28 engage the points or hooks of the triggers, lifting the same to the position shown i Fig. lVhen the magnet is dciinergized, the armature, or course, will swing back beneath the longer ends of the triggers, making it impossible for the dog to move away from its locking position. 1

When assembl'ng the parachute upon the machine the straps 32 and. 13 are passed around i =1 and the catches 15 are inserted into the casings, the tongues thercoi. being suflicieutly flexible to permit such insertion "Without disturbing the position of the dogs.

To facilitate the cooperation between thecatch and the dog in either direction, one of such members is provided with an antii'riction roller 36. 4

The parachute is shown provided with a belt 3'? adaptcd'to be clasped about the aviators body by means of a catch 38 and may be provided also wi h shculder straps 39. Any other suitable means may be provided to attach the parachute to the aviator in any other reliable manner.

While in the air, if the aeroplane becomes unmanageable by'reason otthe failure of the motor or otherwise, with a result that the aviators life becomes endangered, he will press upon the button 19, permitting the parachiue to becut loose from the machine in the manner above indicated so that he will not be precipitated in connection with the machine in the w y that so frequently has occurred in this practice. If desired, the aviator may be secured to his seat by a locking means of a charactersimilar to the meansfor securing the parachute in position, and such l cking means may be electrically operated and in the same circuit as that above described, whereby lie-Will be unlocked from. his seat simultaneously with the freeing of the parachute.

The several parts of this improvemen t ma be made of any suitable materials, and the relative sizes, proportions, and details of arrangement of the same may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by l ters Patentis:

1. The herein described means to secure a parachute detachably to an aeroplanecrinprising a casing having a side opening near one end, a strap adapted to surrouiul the parachute, a catch connected to one end of the strap and including a rigid housing and a flexible tongue secured at one end of the housing, said catch being adapted to pro ject into said opening-and the tongue hav-- ing a hook projecting laterally from the housing, a locking dog movable Within. the casing and cooperating, with said 11001:, a trigger having a projection coiiperating with the dog while the latter is moving to its locking position and whereby the trigger is moved to hold the dog normally in loching position, and means under the control. of the aviator normally holding the trigger in said locking position, substantially as set forth. I

2. The herein described means to secure a parachute detacbably to an aeroplane comprising a lock casingof rectangular form and havin' closed end With an opening in a side adjacent the end, a dog mounted with in the casing and held normally in ri id position slightly spaced from said closed end and just within the opening aforesaid but movable away from the end when the lock is released, and astrap including a catch projec'able through the said opening in the casing, said catch comprising a rigid housing having a back fitted slidably against said closed endof the casing and also having integral. side flanges, said catch also including a flexible tongue secured rigidly to one end of the housing end'extending thence between saidside flanges and spaced normally from the back of the housing, said tongue carrying a head .co6pcrating with the casing dog, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

: WILLIAM ALEXANDER llL'lGKAY. Witnesses:

T. J. Onoonu'r'r, ROBERT BLONE. 

